


The Skiing Lesson

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:07:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22338739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Modern Carol x Therese take Rindy to a skiing resort.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Kudos: 32





	The Skiing Lesson

_“Are you excited to go skiing?!”_

_“Yeah!!”_

Rindy Aird stood among seven of her peers in her particular age group, all bundled up in a hot pink snowsuit, headband, skii goggles, gloves, and a rented pair of ski boots to match her small size of skis. The tip of her nose was red from the freezing cold weather. Trying not to shiver so much, she could see her own breath puffing in the air. This would be her first year going to Star Mount, a ski & snowboarding resort for all ages. Carol had bought three all-day passes for herself, Therese, and their daughter.

“Glad to hear it, children,” their instructor, Miss Veronica went on, balancing on her pair of skis with her ski poles pierced in the sticky snow. “I would like everyone to line up now...”

Rindy wobbled on her pair of skis, while the other boys and girls began to move and follow the instructions, accordingly. It was hard to move with a pair of long boards stuck underneath your feet. She was the last person in line, waddling like a penguin.

“Everybody in line? Good,” Miss Veronica smiled. “Each one of you will get a chance to go down the bunny slope and learn how to control your speed. It’s real easy. As you slide down, you bend your knees and angle your skis into a pizza shape like so!” 

The kids watched Miss Veronica roll down the powdery, snow-covered hill with her knees bent and skis angled close together forming a large, pointy tip of a triangle. They cheered the moment she landed smoothly on the flat surface with no trips or falls. 

Each child did their best on the bunny slope. Some fell backwards, while others cried in frustration. Only a couple could ride down the hill with perfect stride. Rindy gave herself a push, feeling the wind slapping her face, the crisp air burning her lungs. She bent her knees but forgot to angle her skis. Her bottom crash landed on the snow with her head smacking backwards. Luckily the hood of her coat and headband of her ski goggles were padded enough to protect any injury. 

The world spun around her with Miss Veronica holding her up, calling out, 

”Rosie—you okay?”

 _That’s not my name!_ she was thinking, feeling all of her toes grow numb inside her wool pair of socks, feeling one of her skis digging sharply under the back of her calve.

“You gave us quite a scare today, Snowflake,” her mother, Carol, spoke a half hour later when she brought Rindy inside the ski lodge to warm up and have a cup of hot chocolate. Therese was busy laying out their daughter's wet gloves and socks on a fat wooden arm of a chair next to the crackling fireplace. She moved back towards her wife at the picnic table to sit across from her family in an oversized knitted sweater.

Rindy made a warble noise through the inside of her styrofoam cup, before slurping more of the chocolatey hot drink. 

“Maybe you’re too young for skiing lessons...?” Carol went on, tousling the five-year-old’s mousy, brown hair.

“That was her first try, Carol,” Therese pointed out. “We all fall down in the beginning.”

Rindy pulled her cup away, looking up at Carol with a sticky residue mouth.

“I want to keep skiing,” she said.

“I guess I can’t stop you,” Carol sighed. She glanced at Therese, who was blowing into her own hot chocolate.


End file.
